Chapter Summary

New high-tech tools offer shortcuts for achieving the relaxation response. Biofeedback technology involves learning to relax targeted muscle groups or change blood flow while your tension levels are monitored by electronic sensors. Information about your tension level is then fed back to you, assisting you in the process of mastering relaxation skills. Double-induction hypnotic tapes take advantage of sophisticated Ericksonian hypnotic techniques for relaxation, and reprogram your unconscious mind with effective strategies for self-improvement and stress reduction. Flotation tanks help you achieve a deeply relaxed state through the effects of sensory deprivation. Our favorite high-tech tool is light and sound machines, also known as brainwave synchronizers (BWSs). These devices induce a profound state of relaxation for you through the use of light and sound stimulation; they work by altering brainwave frequencies via the entrainment response. BWS devices have been shown to help create alpha and theta brainwave states, which are associated with deep muscular relaxation, calmness, and a sense of well-being.